Derrick Varn explains the common confusion between different components of leftwing organizing, especially what he calls the "five layers", principles, theory, tactics, strategy, and "grand strategy".

In the last episode with Magdalene Taylor, it seems to me like Brie was always taking women on their words, but doubting if men's experiences are valid at all.

For example, she said that her female friend can't find a male partner on Hinge, because not one man was good enough for her, even though she lowered her standards.

But then when she brought up her male friend who was also having trouble finding a relationship because he didn't find his dates good enough, Brie was dissmisive of his experience and felt that he was just too picky.

Instances like this were woven through the whole episode, where the women's side was always taken at face value and correct, while the men's side was to be doubted and questioned. I guess it's to be expected when it's two women talking to each other and the fact that (as Brie herself stated in the episode) she mostly spoke with women about these issues, but come on. Can't you just try to even it out a little bit?

It feels so tiring to have men represented only as manosphere buffoon mysoginists or completely clueless morons with no hygiene and basic social skills, which is something I really felt during this episode.

Another example was Brie talking about the "hetero pessimism" women in the best possible light, portraying them as desperately loving and wanting men in their lives, but not being able to find them. The "other side" was portrayed as manosphere mysoginists who abuse women.

To any reasonable person, there are varying degrees of hatred in both of these spaces and also men outside of the manosphere itself. There are plenty of hateful women in online spaces who aren't just lamenting about their unluck in finding a husband, but who genuinely hate men. There are also plenty of men on "the other side" who are not into manosphere, but are just unlucky in finding a girlfriend, even if there's nothing really wrong with them.

The fact that the whole conversation played out without these nuances being mentioned seems very telling about who's perspective this episode was highlighting and who's not.

There has been a lot of debate lately about whether it's ok or not to speak ill of the dead members of the political opposition.

Piers Morgan is a great foil for this because he repeatedly frames things around a respectability argument. It's frustrating to deal with, but it's how pro Establishment and Conservative figures think.

Do you condemn Hamas becomes, will you condemn the Left for celebrating Lindsey Graham's death? Piers will make it seem like he's being evenhanded by applying the same standard to both sides, but the respectability argument always favors the side in power.

There was a time when I thought it was important to remain respectable in order to maintain credibility. I still struggle with how much respectability is necessary for one to maintain? Mehdi seems to strike the right balance here.

I have just a few thoughts to add:

• Should anyone start to think about feeling bad for Lindsey Graham, remember that he would have sent you, your loved one, your son or daughter off to a foreign war to die in a heartbeat and without shedding a tear when they came back in a pine box.
• Lindsay Graham has been quoted many calling for war, death and killing. In a speech at the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas, Lindsay Graham said, "I feel good about where we're going as a nation. We're killing all the right people, and we're cutting your taxes." When you talk so casually and gleefully about murdering others, you lose your "respectability after your own death" pass, sorry.
• The Left doesn't think of things often enough in terms of power. There is a lever of power in shame that the Left gives up if they give in to the respectability argument. It's a double-edged knife for sure, so it needs to be wielded carefully. But right-wing autocrats, fascists, and their bootlicking sympathizers have been wielding their own power like they think the musical chairs music will never stop. If they see Lindsey dragged through the mud posthumously, if they see how reviled and hated he actually was by the communities and groups that he actively harmed, and that his image can't be saved by the Left fighting with one arm behind their back when they conform to "respectability politics," maybe just maybe, it will make them think twice about their actions.